My Single-payer Healthcare

Discussion in 'Health & Wellness' started by Ted Richards, Nov 7, 2017.

  1. Ted Richards

    Ted Richards Veteran Member
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    I see my family Doctor fairly often because I'm old with several health care issues. He is an excellent Doctor and when he requires a second opinion he sends me to a specialist. I usually have to wait a couple of days for a routine appointment but can get in the same day if it's urgent. Specialists visits range from weeks to months depending on the urgency. ER visits are triaged, chest pains go in immediately; sprained ankles wait.

    We have a community hospital, I've even stayed there there a few times for day-surgeries, but never overnight. I hear the food is terrible but isn't that true everywhere? The hospital also has a full radiology lab and a medical lab as well as a respiratory therapist, a handicap therapist, and a diabetic and blood pressure clinic.

    None of these services are out-of-pocket expenses for anyone and available to all but in our Province (BC), most of us pay a monthly health insurance premium, currently $150/month. That fee also pays for Fair Pharmacare which has a large annual deductible for higher incomes and a low or non-existent deductible for low incomes. I'm very happy with our medical care and I don't think our tax load is any higher that anyone else.[​IMG]
     
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  2. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    Kind of sounds like my Medicare and supplemental. I pay a total of $125 a month.

    Can't complain, so far nothing has been denied and my copays are very small...like $5-$10.

    I'm very impressed with my physical therapy Ive been getting for my shoulder and frozen arm. Had an x ray, MRI and now the PT and it hasn't cost me hardly anything.
     
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  3. Ina I. Wonder

    Ina I. Wonder Supreme Member
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    @Chrissy Cross does that $125. cover your Medicare A & B as well? Just my supplimentals cost me a bit more than that.
     
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  4. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    The $125 is my Medicare part B.

    My supplemental is a PPO and costs nothing but I have to stay in the area.
     
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  5. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Medicare A has no monthly cost. That is hospitalization. Only Medicare B and supplements have a monthly cost.
     
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  6. Ted Richards

    Ted Richards Veteran Member
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    Our $150/month healthcare is for both of us and will drop to $75/month January 1. If we were low income it would be $0. The Provincial health care plan is for people of all ages, not just seniors.
     
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  7. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    Well all I know about is what's for seniors since that's all that concerns me.

    I do think if you qualify we have Medicaid and that is free.
     
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  8. Kitty Carmel

    Kitty Carmel Veteran Member
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    I quit my full time job with benefits at the end of May. I am now paying full price for covered California. Over 850 and got notice in the mail it's going up to over 1000 next year. My income will reset though in the new year and I plan to work part time only which will decreased premiums. I don't know however if my job will accommodate a couple days a week. I can always look into registry or a commute.

    I wish we had single payer. It's the most evil thing in the world to some. And I can't figure out why that is.
     
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  9. Ted Richards

    Ted Richards Veteran Member
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    I think it's because Insurance companies (profit making!) have labeled it Socialism which seems to be a dirty word in most peoples thinking. I think it's strange that folks don't consider public schools and fire departments Socialism. The power of words, eh?

    Canadians fought long and hard after the war before getting single payer health care here but now we all treasure it. It's not perfect and we need to improve some areas but we all have it.
     
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  10. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Ted Richards
    Your health fee premium is mighty close to mine, down here, but not that this means much, given the possible disparity between coverage provisions. Still, it kinda deflates the pervasive rumor here that Canadians are "taxed to death" for healthcare.

    We have snowbirds here by the thousands each winter owning mega-RVs, the kind that $3 to $5 hundred thousand dollars buy. Either they all have enormous assets despite the tax base, or the rumors are just that. Frank
     
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  11. Kitty Carmel

    Kitty Carmel Veteran Member
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    @Ted Richards I think you are right about the word socialism. My mother and I would discuss this from time to time. Though I never had kids, I still pay taxes for schools. It's part of being in a society.

    About 7 years ago I had a patient who's daughter lived in Canada with her Canadian husband. They said they were very pleased with their health care. There were advertisements running on US tv (when Obama Care was in the works) with Canadians stating they would go to the US for health care because theirs in Canada was so bad. This patients son in law stated there is a running joke going around Canada that "nobody can find these people" Since I guess they were getting these ads on US tv stations they were viewing.

    I got my Covered California settled this morning. My income will reset in January with my premium going down to about 230 dollars. I decided to keep the silver plan. It would have been less premium with the bronze plan but I'll keep this for another year. I can't go over the yearly income I estimated though for 2018. I'll stress out a bit over that but it's better than a 1000+ a month premium.
     
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  12. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Kitty Carmel ".....but it's better than a 1000+ a month premium."

    Which is EQUAL to my total income! Frank
     
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  13. Kitty Carmel

    Kitty Carmel Veteran Member
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    Frank, don't think I'm not stressing about retirement. Especially since it's just myself and my income and cats to support. However I have plans to be sufficiently poor enough for health care once there. If I live that long.

    On a side not I'm sick of my step father acting like he is so poor bringing in 2500 a month.
     
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  14. Martin Alonzo

    Martin Alonzo Supreme Member
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    The problem with Canadian health care is if you leave the country for more than six months you are cut off even though you are paying for it. I have been paying into the Canadian for most of my life and for the last 23 years I can not use it. Here we have free health care unless you want specialized care. My doctor will even make house call free I guess that is the penalty of living in a third world country
     
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  15. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Martin Alonzo
    Have you continued paying in to the Canadian system because you remained a Canadian citizen? I should think that one who has become an expatriate to their country and became a citizen of another could not be bound to continue paying. A century ago, U.S. immigration laws were made aimed at preventing dual-citizenship.

    And then, there are those having NO citizenship. My first wife, having come to the States at 16 with her father, mother, and brother, shocked me when she showed me her Passport. They were declared "Citizen of: NONE"!
    Frank
     
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